Should I get a Nitrox certification?
- Thread starter Watson G
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I've never heard of a downwhelling.
Downwelling is a not a big concern....you'd have to exceed 130 ft to be in any real jeopardy, and you should certainly have caught yourself before then if you are paying attention. if you are not paying attention, then Nitrox wouldn't be your major concern. And one does not O2-tox instantly, even exceeding PPO2 limits, it still takes time. Time is your friend in downwelling...you have time to nice it, time to get out of it, and time to not tox.
Damselfish
Contributor
good course to take, normally I'd say just get it done so you have it. But if time and money are a concern - besides the course there's the extra cost for Nitrox most places - I'd say the priority depends where you're going and what sorts of profiles you will be diving. But 4 a day most anyplace I'd expect it to be pretty helpful.
Sometimes you can do a Nitrox class cheaper on a trip than at home, maybe even combined with a good deal on Nitrox for your stay, so you might want to check. It shouldn't really take that much time.
Sometimes you can do a Nitrox class cheaper on a trip than at home, maybe even combined with a good deal on Nitrox for your stay, so you might want to check. It shouldn't really take that much time.
I've never heard of a downwhelling.
Downwelling is a not a big concern....you'd have to exceed 130 ft to be in any real jeopardy, and you should certainly have caught yourself before then if you are paying attention. if you are not paying attention, then Nitrox wouldn't be your major concern. And one does not O2-tox instantly, even exceeding PPO2 limits, it still takes time. Time is your friend in downwelling...you have time to nice it, time to get out of it, and time to not tox.
I read one of Dave's posts about riding down to 180 feet. Now, he may have done it for fun, but he stated that's why he stays on air when leading dives.
CuzzA
Wetwork for Hire
As tursiops pointed out, exceeding your MOD doesn't automatically equal toxing, you could argue one con of diving EANX is higher possibility of an o2 toxing incident, but I could also argue diving increases the possibility of a person drowning, or being eaten by a shark.
We rarely hear about toxing incidents on OC. While possible, outside of medical incidents, buddy separation is the leading cause of death according to DAN. So, being a good self reliant diver should be every diver's goal... good enough to get out of a down current and smart enough to recognize that potential and taking precautions before doing the dive.
NAUI Wowie
Contributor
I think what he left out of that statement is that when leading deep dives he stays on air in case someone gets narcd heavily and starts wandering down to 150 ft depth. If its your profession to lead dives it could happen and it could be better to be on air. This is all hypothesizing and not based on experience.
I personally see zero downside to nitrox and found it useful on the last liveaboard I did. I could see my nitrogen saturation estimates on the computer were much much lower than on air. I know thats the computers guess but it made me feel good knowing it. especially if this O.P. ends up doing night dives and hits 5 or 6 dives in a day
et it, you dont have to use it but get it. If coming up with your buddy results in pushing the ndls then you loose diving time especially if you are paying 200 a day or m ore as many costs. dive it and set your puter on the gas you are using. and come up with your buddy on air and you will be ahead of the game. There is only one down side to teh course. they have stripped it of all the science. EAD etc and if you ever consider going tech the math and the theory will all be new and puzzling.
To the OP - Despite what my detractors have posted, I think O2 toxicity is a downside. I recently got my certification. When I dive in places where there is the possibility to go deep, then I dive air. On the shallower, second dive, I use 36%. I would not dive the Blue Hole or Whale Sharks in Belize with nitrox, but that's my preference.
By your post, I believe you're young. Off gassing is not as difficult as it is for an older person. I'm in my 50's, and I "think" I feel the benefits of nitrox, but my empirical evidence is limited.
If funds are an issue, I would wait. I waited six years from my initial certification, and I didn't have an issue. The caveat is that I am a vacation diver - max of 16 dives per trip, mostly less. If you're diving all the time, then it would be worth it - depending on the environment you're diving in.
By your post, I believe you're young. Off gassing is not as difficult as it is for an older person. I'm in my 50's, and I "think" I feel the benefits of nitrox, but my empirical evidence is limited.
If funds are an issue, I would wait. I waited six years from my initial certification, and I didn't have an issue. The caveat is that I am a vacation diver - max of 16 dives per trip, mostly less. If you're diving all the time, then it would be worth it - depending on the environment you're diving in.
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